Army patrol attacked in J&K

An army patrol was attacked on Friday by militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district. No casualties were reported.

The patrol party of the army was fired at by militants in Hajin area, army sources said.

"There was a brief exchange of fire, following which the militants escaped. There was no casualty on our side. The area was cordoned off for searches," the sources added.

This is the first incident of an attack on the security forces by militants after the Union Home Ministry announced non-initiation of combat operations during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

The security forces have been advised not to initiate operations against militants and use weapons only in self-defence.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant outfit has rejected the ceasefire announced by the central government.

--IANS

sq/in